Review: BiViBIKES Bunker prototype

 

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BiViBIKES

BiViBIKES is the brainchild of Fraser Barsby, a veteran of the Dirt-Jump/DH scene. After a few years away, Fraser has returned to cycling to apply his years of experience to the gravel and adventure scene. The first two products under the BiViBIKES banner are the Bunker frame and Femur forks.

Go with what you know

Fraser’s long term love affair with Sanko steel has carried over to the BiViBIKES frameset. Unlike his jump bikes, the frame uses sleek tubing with neat welds and subtle reinforcing gussets in high stress locations. The ride promises to be lively rather than heavy and dull.

Both frame and forks feature intricate dropouts using standard 12mm thru-axles. Both tighten with a 6mm hex rather than a QR-lever and have their specification laser-engraved so sourcing spares should be easy.

Backcountry Utility

The Bunker is equipped with all the braze-ons you might expect.

• Rack and guard mounts at both ends.
• Anything cage mounts on the fork legs.
• Triple bottle cage mounts on the frame.

It should come as no surprise that the frame features a threaded bottom bracket shell, and external cables with full outers. All eminently practical stuff.

The, old skool, straight head tube precludes suspension forks or indeed, most carbon forks. I get the feeling that such options are at odds with the Bunker’s off-grid character so it is not really a problem.

Going off-grid with the BiViBIKES Bunker

Frame colours are still to be finalised (apart from the initial run of lacquered raw framesets) but the slate grey on the review bike looked smart and has held up to abuse while on test. Decals will be supplied with production bikes giving the rider the option to fly under the radar or display the bike’s identity. Additionally production frames will have their unique frame number engraved onto the headtube.

That tube

The main talking point about this bike is the extra tube (or Bivi-bar) in the main triangle. It is not just a design confection, a whim thrown in to make the bike stand apart from the rest. It really does have a genuine function. A range of custom, modular frame bags are being developed to fit to the Bivi-bar.

The contentious Bivi-Bar

The larger/lower bag will attach via the three sets of bottle bosses instead of the more usual velcro strips. The obvious downsides are the extra weight and there is less room for your bottles if you do not use the custom bags. If these are compromises too far for you, a regular two-triangle Bunker frameset is on the way. As someone who has already invested in a full frame bag, I would prefer the more traditional frame configuration. That issue aside, the Bivi-bar went largely unnoticed.

Room to manoeuvre

Predictably, both frame and fork have decent clearance for mud-plugging. The forks have generous amounts plenty of room but the stays are a little tighter. For reference, the test-bike was equipped with Mavic Allroad wheels (22mm wide rims) and Challenge’s (true to size) 42c Gravel Grinder tyres. Most popular tyres should fit comfortably. BiViBIKES also have a test-mule built up with 650b wheels so the current crop of Roadplus tyres are also an option.

 

 

Build kit

While the BiViBIKES Bunker and Femur are being sold primarily as a frameset, full builds will be available in due course. Fully custom options will be offered alongside the spec featured here. Suffice to say, the choices made by the BiViBIKES team were pretty sound and suggest they know their onions! The full build weighed in a whisker over 24lbs which, considering the all steel construction, sturdy wheel and tyre combo, and Truvativ MTB cranks is a respectable all-in figure. As ever, saddle choice is a personal thing but the Fabric scoop saddle is a safe bet for  keeping most riders happy. The seat post and stem are supplied by Deda with steering dealt with by the excellent Ritchey VentureMax bars wrapped in Cinelli tape. An FSA headset keeps things smooth and the only generic component I could find was the seat clamp which performed faultlessly in any case.

Wide clearances as standard with the Femur fork.

Drivetrain & Braking

Trusty SRAM Apex 1x performs well

The Apex 1 gears performed well, as did the hydraulic brakes. There is only a minor drop in refinement and power compared to the more expensive Rival & Force stablemates. The 1x arrangement with clutch mech is spot on considering the off road duties the Bunker’s will encounter. Compared to Apex models the Truvativ Stylo cranks might seem like overkill but they offer more appropriate gearing for loaded off-road riding out of the box. They also use SRAM’s new DUB BB system which has been generally well received.

Rolling Stock

It was nice to see good quality wheels and tyres. The 42mm Challenge Gravel Grinder tyres are the premium TLR (Tubeless Ready) versions and can be run happily with 35psi for a supple ride. They rolled well on hardpack and performed better than expected in the slop. Set up without tubes they didn’t burp, weep or leak during testing. Mavic’s new UST Allroad Wheels come, tubeless ready, out of the box. Using 23mm wide rims they can take 28-62mm tyres.

Ride & handling

The Bunker took the loose trails of the Peak District in its stride. You did not need razor sharp reactions to correct it when it bounced off-line, and the skinny steel lived up to its reputation for taking the edge off trail buzz. In short, the handling was predictable and solid, even on steep climbs. The bike also zipped along efficiently on the flat sections.

The wide Ritchey bars enhanced control through tight singletrack and allowed efficient, one finger braking. This spurred me on, confident in the knowledge that it could be easily reined in.

One size fits all?

One issue of course is that the Bunker is only available in one size.  At 180cm tall I found the Bunker to be a good fit. Others might be less fortunate!

Conclusion

There is no getting away from the fact that being available in only one size automatically rules out the Bunker for lots of riders.  However, it still makes for an interesting proposition if it does fit.

At around £500 for the frameset there are few rivals if steel is your bag. At £1579 for the build featured here, the Bunker is in the same ballpark as the similarly equipped Ragley Trig, Kona Rove or Genesis Fugio.

The Bunker is not a speed machine but it is not that slow. With your kit loaded up it makes a great platform for tapping out some sociable miles to a bivi spot. Whether your route takes in tarmac or singletrack you will have fun getting there.

Meet the maker: BiViBikes

 

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BiViBikes: In the beginning

From a evolutionary perspective, being nimble is a real advantage. And within the cycle industry, you have to be small to be nimble. If you can be innovative and still react to changing trends, your business will have a real chance of success. This is why so many micro businesses appear when there is a new game in town.

Within this maelstrom of development however, you need to do something different, something special, to stand out from the crowd.  This is where BiViBIKES enter the fray. Unlike many nascent firms, BiViBIKES already has a long and established pedigree, and this piqued our interest.  So, we met up with Fraser Barsby, the brains behind the range, to find out more.

Moving on

Fraser started his career at Ison Distribution, helping launch the Identiti and Halo Wheels brands. After a while he struck out on his own with 24Seven bikes and forged a reputation for creating strong, reliable and affordable machines. By 2007, and with a young family, Fraser realised that he had outgrown the Dirt Jump and Downhill scene and moved on. That’s not to say he swapped his bikes for a pipe and slippers. Instead of building aggro bikes, he started building burly Land Rover Defender conversions designed for overland trips across Africa!

Fraser Barsby, founder of BiViBIKES

Getting back in the saddle

If cycling is in your blood, you will eventually succumb to its siren call, and so it was with Fraser.

“I’d sold on all bar one of my bikes, a 90’s Kona Kīlauea. I wanted to incorporate the feel of the Kona into a drop-bar bike”

From this germ of an idea, the BiViBIKES Bunker prototype was born. He got back in touch with the frame builders he had used on his earlier projects, who were only too pleased to get on board. From there, he has not looked back. As with the Dirt-Jump bikes, the Bunker uses Japanese Sanko steel tubing, albeit with gauges and butting more suited to a Gravel Bike.

The frame was designed to be stable, but not at the expense of lively handling, and a higher bottom bracket was incorporated for rougher trails. The ubiquitous 12mm thru-axles were a given, less so is the use of gussets at the high-stress areas around the head-tube junction.

Oh, that’s what it’s for!

The elephant in the room is the extra tube in the front triangle. Look closely at what seem to be an additional set of bottle bosses. Fraser explained “I’ve seen a number of bikes where a fully packed, full-size frame bag can bulge and interfere with your pedalling. This design allows the use of modular bolt in luggage that will help reduce bulging”. This is a good idea. Two smaller bags have almost the same capacity as a larger one, and you can just run the top bag with a pair of bottle cages below.

Fraser has some bespoke bags ready for production in June, so the option of adding these to your frame order will be available soon on the BiViBikes website.

But why BiViBIKES?

As the name suggests BiViBIKES is not just about the bike. The clever bit is that the frame will also double up as a support for….you guessed it, a shelter. This is currently under development with a team at Nottingham Trent University. Design and material tweaks should see a finished product ready by early 2020 so watch this space!.

Head over to BiViBIKES to find out more!

Review: Sonder Camino AL gravel & adventure bike

 

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Hit the road Jack!

Spare a thought for the poor Camino. Its arrival, wagging its tail like an excited pup, coincided with a run of miserable weather! While The Beast from the East II didn’t materialise, there was no shortage of cold and drizzle.

Would the Camino shine or fade into the mist?

There's only one way to test those clearances…

Overview

The Camino comes with a range of build options starting at £899. Our test bike was the ‘top dog’ Rival 1 Hydraulic build at £1399.  All builds share the same frame & fork so, whichever you opt for, you don’t need to worry you’ll miss any features of the better model. Another bonus is that Sonder build all their bikes to order. The colour options are not therefore, restricted to a single build or pricepoint. SRAM provide the 1x gearing and disc brakes fitted across the range.

SRAM components feature on all stock Camino builds

Frame & Forks

The frame is made from double-butted 6061 Aluminium alloy, while the forks feature carbon blades and an alloy steerer. Both frame and forks have bosses for racks and mudguards, post mount brake fittings, and standard QR dropouts. So far so standard, but the Camino does a good job of hiding away some smart features. The forks might lack the increasingly popular anything cage mounts, but the frame does have three sets of bottle bosses. Home mechanics (and probably professional ones too!) will be happy to see cables running in full outers under the downtube.

Combining a subtle paint job with minimal branding, the Camino gives off a no fuss vibe. Get in close and you’ll see the sturdy headtube backed up by a manipulated and gusseted downtube.

Moving rearwards, the chainstays use a plated design to maximise chain and tyre clearance while still staying clear of flailing heels. Alpkit rate the Camino to 40c tyres. The 37c Riddlers that came fitted to the bike, had plenty of room to spare front and back. Despite “only” having standard quick releases we didn’t experience any wheel alignment or slippage issues during the test period.

Chainstay plate provides breathing space

Drivetrain & Braking

SRAM’s 1x groupsets are proving increasingly popular, especially with riders who spend more time off-road. Once you’re used to how it operates, Rival 1 is precise and has a positive feel. Throw in a couple of hundred kilometres of road and trail grime and it was still operating with no fuss. SRAM also seem to have exorcised the Avid ghost as the brakes are both sharp and easily modulated. Despite some pretty nasty conditions, there was no squealing and only the occasional ‘ticking’ that could be silenced with the slightest pressure on the lever.

 

Clutch mech keeps the chain under control

Wheels & Tyres

At virtually every price point, something has to give in order to stay under budget. Common cost savers are OEM spec tyres that usually give up grip, tubeless compatibility and lighter folding beads. Our Camino came with upgraded TCS tyres which made for a stress-free tubeless set up. While a determined rider could probably do the same with the standard tyres, it can be a hit and miss affair. We’ve ridden the Riddlers before in their 45c width and wondered if perhaps they are too much tyre. The flipside of this is that I wondered if a narrower 37c with shallower tread would be enough! Well, hats off to WTB, as the 37c Riddler makes for a great all-rounder. The tread provided piece of mind on the greasy roads and trails without proving a drag on harder surfaces. Running tubeless with between 30-50psi the Riddlers were comfy and positive. In over 600km of riding, there was no appreciable air loss and no punctures suffered. The wheels are Sonder’s own Orbit models. I’ve run a set of them for many thousands of km on my own bike without issue, and the set on our test bike have been similarly trouble free. They are stiff, stayed true and the only noise they made was the subtle buzz from from the freehub when coasting.

Fast, grippy and comfy, what more could you want?

Finishing Kit

Drivetrain, brakes and tyres aside, Alpkit/Sonder’s in house brand ‘Love Mud’ supply the remainder of the components. Naturally this keeps the cost down, but it doesn’t feel like corners have been cut. Unlike some generic components, everything was well aligned and there were no nasty rough edges. The consistent branding also gave the bike a complete look and air of quality. The Spitfire bars are a real highlight having just the right amount of drop and flare. Getting aero on the road but still being able to hustle along singletrack wasn’t an issue. The Reels bar-tape is cushioned, grippy and seems durable enough. The generous helping of stem spacers might offend some of you but it makes getting into a comfy riding position an easier task. With Sonder’s ‘build to order’ policy I’m sure you could arrange to have the steerer trimmed shorter! The Camino comes with Love Mud’s own Abode saddle. As a matter of course I usually replace the saddles on test bikes with my own favourite model. Having been comfortable on a 50km ride I decided to chance it for an all-dayer. I’m pleased to report we got on fine over 200km. As we often say, saddles are a very personal choice but at least the Abode isn’t an obvious source of discomfort like some we have encountered!

Ride & Handling

Sonder market the Camino as an endurance bike that’s suitable for “multi-day expeditions” and “Long day comfort”. That might set alarm bells ringing, but thankfully it’s not shorthand for “plodder”. For it’s first ride outing I took the Camino on the standard local test loop. Warm up with a quick tarmac blast, into a hardpack gravel blast, a quick stretch of singletrack, a spot of bog trotting and then back. Apart from the inevitable limitations of shallow tread in mud, the Camino never felt out of place. In fact, it felt so at home on the road I used it for two 200km Audax rides. Even with the Riddler tyres and 1x gearing I was barely any slower than I would have been with narrow slicks! The bike had a spritely feel, and it felt that all my power input was being transmitted into forward motion.  Sonder have done a fantastic job of balancing stability, comfort and pace. Despite the old skool QR’s the Camino tracked where you wanted it to go and we were unable to induce any brake rubbing.

Right at home on the tarmac or the dirt track

Summing up

Sonder have played a blinder with the Camino, producing a fast, fun and comfortable bike with no obvious flaws. Often we test bikes that have a but… , such as a high cost, a press fit BB or feeling weighty but not here. The Camino lives up to the ideal of an Adventure bike, a compromise of road vs trail, but without ever feeling out of its depth. Obviously we did have the advantage of TCS tyres, and I encourage purchasers to make the same upgrade for a hassle free experience. The QR axles do feel a little behind the times, but that really is just vanity. They were no detriment to the bike in practice. With its lively feel and a wide choice build options, colours and wheel/tyre choices, the Sonder merits serious consideration.

Visit to the Alpkit & Sonder HQ

 

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Say hello, wave goodbye

I've had a Sonder Camino on test for over 600km. All too soon our time was up however, and we had to return it to Alpkit.  Instead of simply sending it by courier, we agreed that I would drop it off at HQ.

Nestled in a small industrial park in Nottingham, Alpkit HQ is a hive of activity. For a company that used to specialise in a few core products there is a lot going on…

I was met by Dan Thompson and Talyn Williams from the ‘Marketing and Events team’ for a quick tour. Obviously easygoing, they didn’t bat an eyelid that the Camino had plenty of evidence of its last Welsh adventure stuck to it! Having parted company with the Camino my next stop was to see Neil Sutton, the brains behind the Sonder Bikes division.

Bikes first, natch!

Sonder first hit the scene in 2015 with 5 models. An ambitious start for a new brand! In its short life, the range has more than doubled and there are currently 12 distinct models on offer. Even the original models have been revised, improved and brought up to date. Taking a break from tweaking his own personal Titanium Camino, Neil told me that there were plans for further additions to the range.

Neil Sutton’s own Titanium Camino in the Sonder Workshop

Ever expanding range

As well as the Santiago steel touring bike, the Carbon Colibri road bike will also be available in both alloy and titanium.

The Camino Al and Frontier will be equipped with thru-axles.

The titanium Signal trail bike will be getting an equally hard-hitting steel stable mate. The decision to go with steel soon became apparent. In the workshop was an alloy prototype based on the signal geometry. Showing that you can have too much of a good thing, Neil reveals why the alloy Signal won’t be making it into production “It’s just too stiff, it’s brutal to ride!” However fans of alloy trail bikes can console themselves with the new Transmitter, in stock and ready to go!

Alloy Signal Prototype, redefines “hard-hitting”!

Factory custom

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted the Hunt wheels box in the workshop photo above. This highlights one of the advantages Sonder has over its competitors. Every bike is built to order.

Neil tells me that “Customisation is no problem“

Special orders can be placed with suppliers like Hope, or customers can have components delivered to the workshop to be included in a build. Neil explained “We keep vast stocks of components and framesets on site, and customers are welcome to discuss their dream build with us. With the Ti models we can even customise the geometry.”

Just out of shot were some new tyres straight from the manufacturer and still under embargo. I’m sworn to secrecy for now but I can see them becoming very popular…

From hardware to software

Having held up Neil for quite long enough, Dan and I continued our tour. We drop in on the staff café, not for a cuppa but to have a look at a bike just back from a test ride. The Camino propped up against the bench is fitted with the new range of fully-waterproof luggage. The specialist equipment required to weld the seams means these have to be made off-site. An additional trade-off are the limited colour and size options.

Made to measure

Off the shelf isn’t for everyone and here Alpkit excel. Alongside their standard range of UK made bags, they can make custom  luggage to suit your bike and your needs perfectly. This home grown range proved so popular that they quickly outgrew their original workshop. Luckily the unit next door became available and they were able to expand. Suffice to say, whatever colour scheme or feature you want, Alpkit can probably do it!

On leaving, I’m struck how Alpkit, an independent British company, occupies what is essentially a unique niche. By blending overseas and domestic manufacturing they bring the best of both worlds, a range that is affordable yet still bespoke. There are a number of big brands out there, that despite their resources, can’t begin to offer the same service.

For more information, head on over to the Alpkit website.

 

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Time for a brew

I love a coffee and cake stop as much as the next man, but what if you are way off the beaten track? The chances are that you will be carrying a stove for those morale boosting cuppas and essential nutrition. The Alpkit BruKit could be all you need for that brew up. It is an all in one stove and pot combo that uses standard gas canisters. There are plenty of other stoves on the market but what we wanted to find out is whether this stove is one we would confidently take out on a big ride.

At first glance, the Alpkit BruKit looks remarkably similar to a Jetboil stove. As I own one of the original Jetboils, I was intrigued to see how the two compare.

Say Hey, Good Lookin’, whatcha got cookin?’

The BruKit comes complete with everything you need to get going.

There is a 1-Litre pot with inbuilt heat exchanger, neoprene pot sleeve, rubber lid and the all important gas burner. All of these come in a stuff-sac. You also get an adapter for standard cooking pans as well as a tripod that attaches to your gas cylinder.

You have to buy these last two items separately with the Jetboil, and you don’t get a stuff sac either!

The Brukit packs away neatly into its stuff-sac

There’s no replacement for displacement

My original Jetboil weighs 480gms, while the Brukit is 590gms. Having said that, it has twice the capacity (1 litre vs 500ml) so the weight gain is negligible. Despite the greater capacity, the Brukit is 15mm shorter and only 25mm wider than the Jetboil!

Cooking with gas

The beauty of these integrated stoves is ease of use. Screw on the gas canister, screw on the pot, fill it with water and use the integral igniter to get it going.

The BruKit pot has a built in heat-exchanger, which increases the surface area ensuring more efficient heat distribution. Consequently, you get the dual benefits of faster boiling and reduced fuel consumption. The heat-exchanger also acts as a wind-shield further preventing heat loss.

The tall pot is not ideal for cooking (as opposed to just boiling water) but the adapter makes it easy to use standard pots too.

The gas flow is easily adjusted so you can simmer rather than just go full blast!

The adapter included for standard pots

Standard pot in place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The need for speed

If you want a quick cuppa you won’t want to wait forever for your water to boil. Nor do you want a gas-guzzler which means you have to take spare gas on every trip.

A simple test should demonstrate the relative efficiency of each stove. So I set up a head to head.

The task was to see which stove brought 500ml of water to boiling quickest and which one used the least fuel. ( 500ml is the Jetboil’s maximum capacity and is also roughly what you need for a dehydrated meal.) To calculate which stove used the least fuel, I weighed the gas canister before and after each test.

Stove tested	Boiling time for 500ml	Gas consumption
Standard Jetboil	3 mins 10 seconds	4gms
Alpkit BruKit	2 mins 52 seconds	3gms

As you can see the BruKit was both faster to boil and used less gas than the Jetboil!

Another advantage is that the Brukit takes a larger gas canister which can be stored in the stove during transit. If you remove the pot adapter and canister tripod, the BruKit will accommodate a 350gm canister.

With everything you need in the box (bar gas!) the BruKit is fantastic stove, fast, efficient, easy to use and lightweight. Lighter, more compact, stoves won’t be as user friendly nor will they have the same capacity. They will probably need a wind-shield too to remain efficient.

If you are riding in a group, sharing out kit, a BruKit would beat individual smaller stoves in most cases. I thoroughly recommend it!